got vision? use sound.

The sound of brand relevancy

In today’s fast-moving market, it’s never been more important for brands to stay relevant – in their sector and in the mind of the consumer. Read on as we explore how businesses keep their finger on the pulse with seasonal, topical and auditory updates.

Whether we get our news from the paper, Twitter, online or from word on the street, we all do our bit to stay abreast with what’s going on in the world around us. And while we the general public do this to fuel small talk or support social debates, businesses align themselves with topical news to create common ground with a consumer. When Prince Harry and Meghan Markle announced their engagement, hundreds of brands jumped in to congratulate the couple – and cleverly promote their product. Fulton Umbrellas – official supplier to the Royal family – extolled their birdcage umbrella as ‘the perfect way to commemorate Harry and Meghan’s engagement’, while Ryanair tweeted ‘When you hear there’s a party in London next spring and flight’s start at $16.99… simply reMARKLEable.’ Activities like this appeared within hours of the news breaking, so brands were quick off the mark to join in the congratulations.

Aligning marketing activity with topical events like this does illustrate the highest levels of relevancy, but timing is of the essence – and it can be dismissed as bandwagon jumping. Therefore, seasonal marketing is an equally effective way to stay relevant, basing activities on the events scheduled in the calendar. Obvious contenders include winter, summer, Christmas and Easter, but other fixed occasions offer equally lucrative opportunities. The Superbowl is the biggest event in the marketing calendar, with multinational brands and local businesses alike tying their offers, promotions and adverts to this global sporting occasion. And as many of us were swearing off alcohol at the start of this New Year, Heineken, Budweiser and San Miguel took Dry January as the perfect opportunity to promote their alcohol-free beer. In a slightly different move, the Crème Egg team at Cadbury managed to create their own season for this year’s campaign. In line with the launch of their elusive white Crème Egg, the confectioner announced the period between January and Easter as ‘Hunting Season’ – the only time consumers could search for the hidden treats. This campaign built anticipation and exclusivity around a product that is already only available for a limited time – and meant the brand didn’t have to follow trends, events or topics to maintain their relevancy.

Cadbury proved that brands can stay up-to-date on their own terms, without following the trends or seasons around them – and every company has the capability to do this by keeping customers informed with their latest news. It could be an award win, upcoming event, special offer or promotion – whatever’s going on, sharing news with your customers shows that you stay up-to-date. More than any season, occasion or news story, marketing activity all about you maintains the highest levels of relevancy.

However, relevancy is about more than the latest news – it’s also important to bear cultural trends in mind, particularly in relation to marketing. And this year, audio has really proven itself as a prime channel for content consumption. More people are listening to audiobooks, downloading podcasts and streaming than ever before, so developing a presence in sound is a valuable way to stay relevant in today’s marketing landscape. And with music constantly a presence in our culture, characterising your brand with an exclusive composition is another relevant way to connect with a consumer.

Above all the methods of marketing, there’s one that meets every criteria in terms of relevancy – audio branding. Bang on-trend for 2018, a production features a track custom composed to represent a company – showcasing identity in a way that will always be relevant to listeners in a music-focused culture. But most importantly, the flexibility of audio branding allows a business to always stay up-to-date with everything going on in the news and business worlds. With the changes included in a package, you have the opportunity to add content tailored to the season, a current news event or the latest developments in your business – proving to listeners that you’re always in tune with what matters to them.

Sound matters when keeping your business current – and audio branding offers the most flexible, powerful and practical way to always stay relevant.